Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 03 February 2021
The financial support that is being provided to people who are self-isolating is really important, and I have no doubt that it is much welcomed.
As usual, our SNP Government is going further—as far as we can to help as many people as possible. Yesterday, as the cabinet secretary said, we extended the support to cover people on the real living wage or less. It now includes people who already depend on a council tax reduction and those with caring responsibilities, which I am really pleased to see. There is also an extension to the timescale for applying for the support, to try to help as many people as we can. All that means that we will be able to reach another 200,000 people in Scotland.
After the £500 grant was introduced in October, the Government was asked to include the parents of children who had to self-isolate, and we did so. We also reached out to support people who were not on universal credit but would qualify for it if they applied, so we can see that the Government is doing as much as possible to help and responding to circumstances as best it can. Can we do more to help more people? I hope that if we can, we will, but I am sure that the people of Scotland can see that the Government is stepping in to help the most vulnerable of our citizens who are having to-self isolate.
A development that is interesting to note is that the Protect Scotland app that many of us have on our mobile phones will shortly be updated, so that people who are notified to self-isolate through the app will get details of how to apply for the grant. As I understand it, the app will also give them a certificate to authenticate their claim when they make the application to their local council. That should help, too. It is a really helpful and useful application of information technology in these times. Well done, once again, to our software engineers for making it possible.
I want to say a few words slightly away from the debate about money and on isolation itself. When we get through this awful time, as I know that we will, I hope that the Government will look back and examine the impact that self-isolation has had on our people and continue to provide support in some form or other. Let us not forget our shielders, many of whom have in effect been living in isolation since the start of the pandemic, nearly a year ago now. I will share one or two examples of the impact of isolation on my family. It will probably be the same experience as for other members in the chamber and many families across Scotland.
My sister, Helen, is shielding and living at home with my niece, Kerri, who is both special needs and disabled. They have hardly been out of the house in 11 months. The impact on Kerri of not seeing any friends for such a long time is hard to imagine, and on Helen, too. She is trying to cope with her own vulnerability while protecting Kerri; that is impossible to comprehend.
My daughter, Niamh, despite being healthy, spent much of last year in self-imposed isolation while trying to complete her master’s degree at the University of Stirling, because her boyfriend, Seb, is extremely vulnerable to the virus and has been shielding for a full calendar year. To protect and help him, she decided to keep apart from her family in order to keep him safe.
Last but not least, my partner’s dad, Jimmy Muir, aged 93, was enjoying his life quietly at home at the start of the pandemic but he is now confined to a care home as a result of isolation and lack of mobility. They will all probably be really annoyed with me for mentioning them, but to say that I am proud of them all is an understatement.
The impact of self-isolation has been felt by many of our citizens, young and old, and it is much wider than we think. I am asking that we care enough to reach out to people, ask them about their experience to learn as much as we can about it and be prepared to keep offering help, if it is needed, as we recover from the pandemic. If we do that, on top of helping with grants wherever they are needed, we will have done some good and valuable work for the people of Scotland at this time of crisis.
16:04